Vineland man charged with fleeing crash

Jun. 24, 2013

Written by

Daniel J. Kov

VINELAND — Police have charged a local man with failing to report an accident and fleeing the scene following a Thursday morning collision on Delsea Drive.

Pablo Contreras, 27, of Almond Street was charged over the weekend with leaving the scene of an accident, failure to report an accident, failure to observe a traffic signal, reckless driving, and having an uninsured vehicle, amongst other additional traffic charges, police have said.

According to police, Contreras’ vehicle collided with a car driven by Evelyn Rivera, 40, head-on at 5:50 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Delsea Drive and Elmer Road. Contreras, police said, quickly fled the scene to a house located on the 1900 block of South Delsea Drive.

The home’s owner, Beatrice Mercado, told police that she woke to a noise in the living room and found her brother, Contreras, standing there. Mercado told police that she was unsure as to why he was there, but said that he does occasionally stop by in the morning before going to work.

According to police, Contreras told police that he was only a passenger in his black 1995 Honda Civic, and that the driver, who he did not name, had fled the scene. Police said Contreras refused to state where he was coming from or where he was driving to, and that he appeared to have had an alcoholic odor emanating from his breath.

Rivera, the driver of the other vehicle, told police that she was driving south on South Delsea Drive, with the traffic light green for her direction, when Contreras came into her lane after he had made a turn off of West Elmer Road and onto South Delsea Drive.

Police said that a witness identified Contreras at the scene, who stated that Contreras was the only person in the car and the driver, and that he did not stop for the red light when he turned onto South Delsea Drive.

Both drivers were eventually taken to Inspira Medical Center Vineland. Rivera reported back pain, while Contreras was hospitalized for a reported possible fracture to his left upper arm, as well as lacerations and cuts to his cheek, arms and knees.

Police said that based on Contreras’ possible fracture to the left side of his arm, which they said would be consistent with an injury that a driver would suffer, and along with the witness identifying Contreras as walking away from the scene after the crash, police have determined that Contreras was the driver of the vehicle.

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